The present invention relates to robotic workcell control systems and more particularly to binary calculator systems employed therein to provide logic equation solutions for input/output control of the workcell process.
In the referenced patent application, there is disclosed an improved robotic workcell control system in which smart input/output modules provide distributed input/output control capability across the work cell. As a result, various advantages are realized including relieving the robot controller of the input/output control load, significantly reducing hardwiring requirements, and facilitating programming for the workcell operation.
The main duty of the input/output module is to provide solutions for binary logic equations which direct the sequential and other control of the workcell process. For this purpose, a binary calculator capability is required on the input/output module.
Available microprocessors such as the 8044 device have a binary instruction capability, but the time required for binary equation solution processing generally occupies too much of the total microcomputer duty cycle and specifically is too great to meet efficiently the solution speed requirements in typical robotic workcell applications of distributed input/output control.
It is therefore desirable that a faster binary calculator system be provided especially to achieve better robotic workcell operation with modular distribution of process input/output control.